The Syrian war: someone is lying but is anyone telling the truth?

"You will hear of wars and rumours of wars", that passage from Matthew 24 which gives an indication of the timing of Christ's return, seems to be the single most appropriate quote for the early part of the 21st century.

It's all too easy for us in the West to enjoy a level of disconnect from the terrible events that have over-shadowed the Middle East and that (and this may come as a shock to the younger generations) predate 9/11.

Yet these wars in distant lands are only too real for those who live under the constant onslaught of everything that comes alongside what we in the west view as this vague notion of 'war'.

Armchair Generals and mainstay pundits who are consumed with self-interest and the need to maintain their own identity, abound in this new information era.

We live in an age of mistrust and confusion over whether or not we should trust our political leaders and the validity of their claims is questionable at best.

This is in no doubt due to the fact that the public are exposed to the new information delivery system called social media, where misinformation is a recognised and accepted form of propaganda.

The blame game, which has swung across the entire left/right political paradigm since time immemorial, no longer holds any weight as both sides seem to find common ground when presented with enemies that defy political or economic definitions and categories.

When it comes to the response to the gas attack in Syria, we have an exceptional situation where, in America Neo-conservatives are aligned with Democrats, whilst here in the UK the unthinkable has happened with many on the right of the political spectrum in total agreement with Jeremy Corbyn.

Theresa May, Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron vs Vladimir Putin and Bashar al-Assad, all locked in a war of (dis)honesty where one side is spinning a yarn and the other stands as a protectorate of the truth.

The perpetual state of confusion

None of the main players in this theatrical war dance have very good reputations when it comes to the truth and hiding the actions of the disreputable, yet one side is going to be right and the other side is clearly pushing for war or a limited conflict at the very least.

So, do the public trust a politician who, due to recent events, many believe has serious questions to answer over the such things as the Windrush debacle? Or do they trust a supposed mass murderer who (if you believe media and social media speculation) will use chemical weapons against children.

This is the choice the public feel they have and comments on social media reflect the general disdain with which the public now views our world leaders.

Dare I say it? We are locked in an information war that has lead to some very strange allegiances, where many Brits now trust Putin over Theresa May.

Then you have the perceived left-wing media in the UK beating the war drum and the perceived right-wing doing the opposite.

In other words trust on all sides is at an all time low and familiar bastions of polemic dialogue appear to be acting in a counterintuitive manner.

Do not, for one second, think that any of this is accidental or should I say, circumstantial.

This is a war on the psyche of mankind and ever has it been so.

According to the Bible a serpent once whispered into Eve's ear disinformation for which we are all still paying, leaving us with one question.

Who do we trust for our information regarding all things? Or have we submitted our free will to Wikipedia and memes?